Creating a masterwork of art can be like wandering through a maze: after a lengthy period of reflection and contemplation, you’ll still probably starve. Appreciate the figurative risks and transcendent joys of artistic creativity with today’s Groupon: for $79, you get one beginners' glass-blowing lesson, including all materials and equipment (a $200 value), at Stone and Glass. Classes are held Saturdays by appointment only.
Accomplished glass artisan, sculptor, and visual expressionist James Stone draws from a quarter-century of artistry to transform imaginative amateurs into passionate glass aesthetes. In the 60-minute Introduction to Hot Glass class, beginners observe the masters as they transmogrify ordinary glass into glossy ornaments, tumblers, and paperweights. In the one-on-one, hands-on demonstration, students will learn how to safely and effectively use a chalice of quartz and torch to breathe glossy life into their amorphous crystals. All apprentices will leave with the fundamentals of the fascinating craft as well as their very own shiny glass vessel, whether they choose to use it to catch spilled milk or as an amulet to ward off house-blowing wolves.
Stone and Glass
Award-winning artisan and sculptor James Stone draws upon 27 years of craftsmanship and artistry to teach his students the ways of transmogrifying ordinary glass into masterworks. During hands-on demonstrations, James leads groups of up to six pupils in wielding 2,300-degree torches that turn brittle glass into malleable liquid ready to be shaped into art or slathered onto injured windows. Each day, the ovens also churn out tumblers and sculptures available for sale, and the studio routinely takes orders for custom projects and ornaments.